Mariah Ellison, Charlotte Pitt’s grandmother, accepts her longtime friend Sadie’s gracious invitation to spend Christmas with her and her husband, Barton, in their picturesque village. But upon arrival, Mariah discovers that Sadie has vanished without a trace, and Barton rudely rescinds the invitation. Once Mariah finds another acquaintance to stay with during the holiday season, she begins investigating Sadie’s disappearance. Mariah’s uncanny knack for solving mysteries serves her well during her search, which is driven by gossip as icy as the December weather. Did Sadie run off with another man? Was she kidnapped? Has someone harmed her? Frustratingly, Mariah’s questions reveal more about the villagers themselves than about her friend’s whereabouts. Yet in the process of getting to know Sadie’s neighbors, Mariah finds a kind of redemption, as she rediscovers her kinder side, and her ability to love. It is up to Mariah to master her own feelings, drown out the noise, and get to the bottom of what occurred, all before Christmas day. With the holiday rapidly approaching, will she succeed in bringing Sadie home in time for them to celebrate it together—or is that too much to hope for? This was not the most festive of Christmas stories but it was quite the gripping mystery! I will miss these kinds of stories by Anne Perry.

A cozy mystery in which friends look out for each other. Mariah’s uncanny knack for solving mysteries serves her well during her search, which is driven by gossip as icy as the December weather. Did Sadie run off with another man? Was she kidnapped? Has someone harmed her? Frustratingly, Mariah’s questions reveal more about the villagers themselves than about her friend’s whereabouts. Yet in the process of getting to know Sadie’s neighbors, Mariah finds a kind of redemption, as she rediscovers her kinder side, and her ability to love.

Mariah has been invited to her friend's, Sadie, for Christmas. Imagine her surprise when she gets there to find that her friend has disappeared and nobody seems very concerned about. When Sadie's husband refuses to let her stay at his home, she finds a refuge with Gwendolyn. At Gwendolyn's, she finally finds someone as concerned for Sadie as she is. They both begin to investigate and what they discover is shocking, though not as shocking to Mariah. There is gossip, blackmail, and treachery. Will they be able to find Sadie before she succumbs to the freezing temperatures? Will Mariah find the strength to face her past?
Very different from previous holiday stories, but full on interesting characters that I enjoyed meeting.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher to read and review. I am voluntarily leaving this review.

An excellent mystery that not only transported me back through time and kept me guessing, but showed amazing insight and growth in the main character along the way. Highly recommend.

Thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC.

Enjoyed another of Anne Perry’s Christmas stories. Will miss reading them each year as they always have a delightful story.

A Christmas vanishing by Anne Perry. I was told Anne passed away shortly after writing this and that’s exactly what it reads like. Like a lonely old woman who was bitter and cruel throughout her life, now dying and sorry for all she had done to drive people away from her. Too long for what it is and very repetitious.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this free in exchange for my honest review.

Over several standalone outings, Mariah Ellison, the formidable Grandmama of Charlotte Pitt from Perry’s long-running mystery series, has proved to have her own bona fides for detection. This latest holiday novella, set at the end of the Victorian era, sees Mariah arriving at St. Helens, a small Dorset village, after accepting her old friend Sadie Alsop’s invitation to stay with her over Christmas.

Mariah senses that Sadie is in trouble and needs her help, and her inner alarm is heightened when she arrives on Sadie’s doorstep and is rudely turned away by her husband, Barton. Clearly not expecting her, Barton tells her Sadie has left, and he doesn’t know if she’s ever coming back. Baffled and eventually settling in at the cozy home of Gwendolyn, a kindly older woman who never married, Mariah grows concerned about Sadie’s whereabouts (did she leave willingly, or was she abducted?), a feeling that intensifies after days pass with no answers. Gwendolyn and a caring bookshop owner join Mariah’s unofficial investigation, which uncovers a web of malice that has overtaken St. Helens and threatens to dredge up painful secrets. As Mariah works out who’s responsible, she reflects on the fact that “everyone has a hidden side.”

Characterization is top notch, and the interactions among the diverse villagers reflect Victorian society. As Christmas mysteries go, this story turns darker than most as it delves into human nature’s most sinister aspects. At the same time, the ending grants a feeling of hope, both for the village and Mariah herself. Her abusive marriage had turned her spiteful and bitter, but she’s come to recognize these destructive patterns and consciously works to express unfamiliar emotions like gratitude and compassion.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ -NetGalley ARC

<b>Description:</b>
Mariah Ellison, Charlotte Pitt’s grandmother, accepts her longtime friend Sadie’s gracious invitation to spend Christmas with her and her husband, Barton, in their picturesque village. But upon arrival, Mariah discovers that Sadie has vanished without a trace, and Barton rudely rescinds the invitation. Once Mariah finds another acquaintance to stay with during the holiday season, she begins investigating Sadie’s disappearance. Mariah’s uncanny knack for solving mysteries serves her well during her search, which is driven by gossip as icy as the December weather. Did Sadie run off with another man? Was she kidnapped? Has someone harmed her? Frustratingly, Mariah’s questions reveal more about the villagers themselves than about her friend’s whereabouts. Yet in the process of getting to know Sadie’s neighbors, Mariah finds a kind of redemption, as she rediscovers her kinder side, and her ability to love. It is up to Mariah to master her own feelings, drown out the noise, and get to the bottom of what occurred, all before Christmas day. With the holiday rapidly approaching, will she succeed in bringing Sadie home in time for them to celebrate it together—or is that too much to hope for?

<b>Review:</b>
I did not enjoy this book as much as the other Anne Perry Christmas books I have read, but it did have an interesting plot and a twist that I didn’t guess. The author died earlier this year and I have to wonder if she knew her time on earth was coming to an end because this book revolves around forgiveness and redemption and had a kind of finality to it. May she Rest In Peace.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing, and Ballentine Books for the opportunity to read this in exchange for a honest review.

I always enjoy Anne Perry's Christmas books. They are just enough mystery with a twist of holiday spirit. As always this one had me guessing until the end of the story.

It is hard to face the end of a tradition. I have been reading Anne Perry’s Christmas missives as long as she has been writing them. They are usually dark and more troubling than you would expect from a Christmas offering. “A Christmas Vanishing” speaks to harsh remembrances from the past and whether they can be understood, righted, perhaps forgiven. There were many secrets that had been hidden for so many years, covered over with hope that they would never find the light. But then a woman goes missing, old mistakes explode and an octogenarian, with her own secrets, is determined to answer what could be a plea for help, to take “the chance to choose which way to go.

I will miss Anne Perry and her many characters. I want to thank Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this last Christmas novella.

This was my first of Anne Perry's Christmas novellas. It definitely wasn't a typical Christmas read. At the beginning it seemed that our main character was not very likable. But when she discovers that her hostess for the holidays is now missing she begins to look into where and why she's disappeared.

But, overall, I did enjoy this simple story. Character growth occurred and various people were revealed as either better or worse than readers might first expect. I admit that I've liked Anne Perry's full-length novels better, in the past, but this was a nice quick read. At times I felt there was too much redundancy and that the story might be better as a short story, but the final part wrapped up pretty well. I'm a little curious about the other Christmas novellas now, so might have to try another.

I received an advanced reading copy from the publisher, through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Given Anne Perry's death earlier this year, I hate to give a negative review to one of her last published books, but I'm afraid "A Christmas Vanishing," the latest and presumably last in her series of Christmas book that feature minor characters from her Thomas and Charlotte Pitt series, was a disappointment. After a promising start--in which Mariah Ellison arrives to spend Christmas in the charming village of St. Helens in Dorset at the invitation of her old friend Sadie Alsop, only to discover that Sadie is inexplicably missing--the novel spends most of its 193 pages slogging along before suddenly and quickly (and a bit unbelievably, in my opinion) wrapping up the mystery in the book's final moments. There are certainly some characters here that I'd have been happy to spend more time with--a genial bookseller named Oliver Mallard and Mariah's old friend Gwendolyn, in particular--but Mariah is a difficult character to warm to and Sadie is even more unlikable, to the point that I really didn't care whether she was found or not. Perhaps Perry would have revised this book before publication had she lived, but I can't help wishing that it was not the last book of her legacy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for providing me with an ARC of this title in return for my honest review.

Mariah Ellison is looking forward to spending the Christmas holidays with her friend Sadie and her husband, Barton. When she arrives she is surprised to find Sadie missing and her husband rudely dismissing.
After finding a place to stay with another friend ,Mariah sets out to find Sadie. Not only is her husband uncooperative but many of the town folks are curiously quiet. Does this have something to do with her disappearance? Could one of the surprising results be falling in love? Can they accomplish their goal of finding Sadie before Christmas?
This was a fun, captivating holiday story.

I am new to this author, but I don't think I will be reading more. The story was very hard to follow - I kept getting confused on which character was who and how they tied in. I also thought the ending to be quite defeating and not very hesrtwarming, especially for a Christmas story.

I have read many of Anne Perry’s books over the years and love the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt series. In her Christmas books, Perry often developed a secondary character into a story, as in this one with octogenarian Mariah Ellison, solving a disappearance. There is an underlying theme of realizing the mistakes you’ve made, forgiving yourself and forgiving others in the holiday spirit.

A Christmas Vanishing by Anne Perry. I had a harder time getting into this Christmas story but it was very well written.

I have fallen down a rabbit hole with this one! Can you believe that I have never read a book by Anne Perry before? What a perfect story to break me in. You know that I am now going to have to go back and binge all of her previous novels.

This little Christmas novella is a spin off of the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt novels. The main character Mariah is the grandmother of Charlotte. Mariah travels to her longtime friend, Sadie's home to spend the holidays only to find her friend is missing and no one seems to know where she's gone.

Mariah is determined to not only find her friend but also discover the reason for her disappearance. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough to discover the who, what, where, and why of it all. In the end I was pleasantly surprised by the mystery that was revealed. I especially liked the overtone of forgiveness. It is impressed upon that forgiveness is really for oneself. You can't be free if you harbor resentment and anger towards another.

If you are like me and have never been exposed to this delightful author now is the time to check her stories out. This particular tale is set at Christmas but I think it would be a wonderful read any time of the year.

I love Christmas and I love mysteries, this one was so good! I could not put it down. I wish I could read 10 more books about the characters. I adored it and highly recommend!

I just love Anne Perry's books, though I've only read the last 3 years Christmas books I can see I have quite a few to catch up on.
Her books just have a different feel to them than many of the other mystery books I've read.
The books have a vintage feel to them, taking place during a slower time when neighbors had to meet up with each other to solve a disappearance.
Mariah Ellison is delighted to visit her longtime friend Sadie and her husband Barton, in their picturesque village. After arriving, expecting to be invited right in by Sadie, she's rudely told by Barton, Sadie has disappeared, and she can't come in. She takes things into her own hands by talking to their neighbors trying to investigate the vanishing. As the gossip accumulates all have something to say about Sadie, some not too nice. Some miss her. One common thread shows up in the conversations, Sadie is not quite the person Mariah thought she was. Coming together the neighbors discover things about themselves. Despite the seriousness of the situation Mariah discovers a well of emotions including forgiveness, redemption and restoration.
With Christmas drawing ever closer will there be closure with joy ringing out or will uncertain times continue into the new year? I look forward to being transported back in time again to a slower time as I read more of her books.

Pub Date 07 Nov 2023
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

"The fewer friends you have the more precious they become."

For over 20 years renowned mystery author Anne Perry has published a Christmas mystery novella every year with charming characters, a delightful mystery, and endearing messages about using this time of year to reflect on friends and family. A Christmas Vanishing lives up to this tradition.

Sadie is missing! When 80 year old Mariah arrives in the picture perfect postcard village of her friend Sadie to celebrate Christmas together she is shocked when her husband tells her Sadie hasn't been home for days, he doesn't know where she is and has no idea, nor does he care, that Sadie invited Mariah to spend the holidays with them. He slams the door in her face!

Luckily Mariah knows people here and is offered refuge in a lovely home. Worried that something nefarious has happened to Sadie she rallies the town to help find her. The twist is that while investigating Sadie's last known movements it comes to light that Sadie may have made herself a few enemies by her own actions.

The writer as usual leads us down a few paths of possibilities before revealing what happened to Sadie. Along the way we are treated to examples of kindness and forgiveness. As Mariah says to the people Sadie has hurt, "It's not who she is, it's who we are." Such a great lesson about not lowering your values because someone has lowered theirs towards you.

Sadly, Anne Perry passed away in April of this year. She published over 100 books. If this is the last book in her legacy it's fitting that it's one of her Christmas novellas filled with her signature style of quaint locations, descriptive characters and in the end leaving her readers with holiday cheer.

I received a free copy of this book from the publishers via #NetGalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.